Author's note: this is my first actual one-shot story for LOVELESS I hope, to those who'll read this, would like the story…please R n' R

I do not own LOVELESS or its characters but I do own Ryu (I just like that name and I like him)

-------------------------- XXXX ------------------------

Summary: a short one-shot: Ritsuka decides to sneak out of the dorm house and go to the park for some fresh air that leads to an unexpected meeting with a mysterious teenager on a moonlit night. Do the two of them know each other? Please R and R…

Eternal Solace

One-shot: MOONLIGHT ENCOUNTER

Ritsuka Aoyagi sat down on the floor beside his bed. Now 14, he has grown much taller than before and is five feet, six inches tall. He had cut his hair short in a way that it would not reach his shoulders but his bangs are long enough to cover his eyes and a very pale complexion that seemed really natural.

He had grown much more mature than before and better looking. Back at his school, he had been given the title "Bishounen" because of his undeniable good and rare looks.

Dark purple cat-like eyes isn't something you could see everyday together with his black hair that seems to turn purple under the sun.

Besides that, he was also given another nickname, "Black Cat"… a person who delivers bad luck— for having black cat ears and tail but this was only given to him by some outsider whom he had defeated in a useless match (In Ritsuka's opinion) and some gangsters that he beat up when they stood in his way that one time.

Things have changed since those two years. Ritsuka no longer sees his two friends, Yayoi and Yuiko ever since they became a couple months before he transferred to another school a year before. They had also gone separate ways as he went to enroll on a high school academy where the students are required to live in a dorm.

He was lucky to be placed in a room where there is a great view of the school garden and not to mention that he had the room all to himself. Even in this academy, he still had the title "Bishounen" no matter how much he tried to become indifferent so that they would stop referring to him with such title, it just ended up much worse than before.

He tried to act as a rebel but they all seem to think of him more as a cool, awesome, hot, cute and a multi-talented boy. He had gone used to it and learned to ignore whatever people say. Things did changed as time passed … he is no longer the Ritsuka Aoyagi that was afraid to stand up for himself, the boy who is ignorant in the world of 'Fighters and Sacrifices', he no longer needed Soubi to protect him, because he is no longer that ignorant child they tried to keep in darkness and he no longer lets his own mother hurt him.

He had grown out of those useless things and those useless emotions. The reason he chose an academy with a dorm to begin with was for him to be able to stay away from Soubi. He's older brother's Fighter.

Whenever he is near him, whatever Soubi may say, all Ritsuka could here were all bunch of lies. He had grown tired of hearing the same lies repeatedly that he made this choice. To stay away from him at all cost.

Now here he is, unable to sleep for what seems to be the tenth time for the month. At his so called home back when he was still living with his abusive mother, he at least could sleep well even if it's just a few hours, but here, he is truly unease for some reason but nonetheless maybe it is because he knew sooner or later that time would come.

"I still can't sleep if I stayed here all night staring at nothing…" Ritsuka mumbled with annoyance to himself as he heaved a sigh and stood up.

Walking silently towards the closet, Ritsuka took a blue jacket before slowly going towards the balcony door with his running shoes in his hands. He slowly slid the door open, went out and closed it back again. As silent as a cat, he jumped off the balcony and landed on the ground without a sound even though he jumped from the third floor of the dorm.

He even wore his shoes while he was descending towards the ground from the jump. Even if the jump was high, Ritsuka landed rather gracefully and without a sound. He was not at all bothered by the height of his jump. He stared back at his dorm room window, making sure that the balcony door is closed. No one seemed to be awake which give him a huge chance to get out for the whole night. Wearing his jacket, he ran off into the night with only one destination in mind.

The Park

The same place where he first found out about the existence of 'Sacrifices' and of 'Fighters' when he first encountered the 'Breathless' pair when he and Soubi were having a conversation about Ritsuka's deceased brother.

It didn't take him long to reach the entrance of the park. It was a beautiful park and huge at that so it was not much of a surprise when this park was first built with an entrance gate. Though the gate did not actually have metal bars to stop anyone from entering but only having two tall cemented bars as an indication of an entrance, but it still looked like a gate to everyone.

The park was quiet and eerie yet Ritsuka found it attractive rather when it was still morning. Walking here at the park at the middle of the night alone did not seem scary to him, the cold night, its silence and the full moon makes him feel at home. He loved how dry it is yet cold at the same time.

He thought it would be quite muddy and dump since it just rained just this afternoon. He really despises getting wet in any way which once made Yayoi comment on how he resembles a cat since everyone knows that cats never wanted to get wet but always manage to make themselves clean at all times.

He did get that a lot not only from Yayoi but also from Yuiko, Seimei, when he was still alive, (zero pair and breathless pair), his teachers and classmates even in his current school and Soubi. Being more like a cat at first seemed nothing but a nuisance of comparison but he soon got the hang of it and didn't mind anymore. He had excelled in sports and in his studies and even those who participate in sports like he did could see his cat-like reflexes.

Sighing again for thinking about the weather and how it reminds him of being compared to a cat, Ritsuka walked farther into the park, making the view of the gate disappear in his sight.

~X~x~X~

Minutes of walking that seemed like hours did not make anything better for Ritsuka as he realized that going into the deep forest of the park was probably not the very smartest idea, EVER!!!

The reasons to it?

One: He only decided to go into the forest to think and to get a very quiet and relaxing environment which ironically, only a dark place could give him. He didn't notice that there is someone following him. Heck, he never realized it, not until he felt someone or more realistically said—heard someone following him when he was already inside the forest walking.

'Why on earth did I not just sense this person's presence!? Damn stupid good-for-naught of a sixth sense! If this guy will still continue to follow me, I will definitely fry whoever it is into an overcooked barbecue.'

Two: He is not in a good mood since he never really had a good night sleep for the past few days and getting stalked is just adding fuel to the fire. Everyone in Ritsuka's current school knew that they should never get into the young boy's bad side especially if he's in a foul mood.

They accidentally found out about the boy's not-so-good-response to those who gets into his bad side when he in not in the mood one time when they had a fieldtrip two months ago to another school when some delinquents came and tried to pick a fight.

Though they were outnumbered, they didn't felt any fear since they had some bats and other weapons to give a great amount of damage to their opponents and non of Ritsuka's classmates bothered to go against the delinquents since they were sure to get a lot of injuries and they were also in a disadvantage.

Unfortunately though, the delinquents' 'boss' picked to annoy someone and had chosen Ritsuka to annoy just merely that Ritsuka looked like a fragile person and that he doesn't look like someone who could fight at all. Ritsuka at that time was in a foul mood—but didn't looked like he was in to begin with—that when the 'boss' tried to touch his face after some verbal insult, the 'boss' ended up in a heavy pile of dirt. It happened so fast that the delinquent's 'boss' was unable to register what happened and when it did, everyone of his subordinates attacked Ritsuka.

His classmates were shouting for him to run but he stood his place and not to mention he was already giving quite a murderous aura and his face is very, very blank yet there was a very dark glare he was giving to the delinquents that his classmates immediately shut up and practically stared as he defeated all of them singlehandedly.

Each and every one of the delinquents ended up with some fractures (but not serious ones) and some broken bones from what Ritsuka just did to them. And not to mention, he even applied the saying "Adding insult to injury" by actually telling them that 'If you decided to fight someone, choose someone who isn't in a foul mood' and 'you fight like five year olds' who have undeniably had a short fuse'.

Three: He does NOT want to 'BE' STALKED by unknown people. Honestly! Doesn't anyone know anything about PRIVACY? Someone was definitely going to suffer and it is clearly not a very good one at that…

And last but not the least: He's LOST…yep, Ritsuka forgot where the trail is and is now currently lost inside the park's forest with an unknown stalker who clearly would not leave him a lone. These are practically the reasons that he decided never to go inside a forest no matter how small it may be…

X~x~X

He stopped from walking after somehow walking around in circles for what seemed to be half an hour or just plain few hours of walking non-stop that did not help him get out of this forsaken forest for some reason. His stalker also stopped when he stopped and didn't leave him at all.

He could hear the stalker's heartbeat and steady breathing. He could hear all this since he did have some training to enhance his senses so that he would know if someone would want to hurt him. It also helped him in his studies and in sports that's why he was thankful for it as well. Though right now, he doesn't know what this person is planning on about but whatever he's planning, if he tries to even attack him, Ritsuka won't even dare hesitate to turn this person into an overcooked barbecue just as he had previously stated.

Unfortunately for him though, all thoughts were disrupted when the wind blew a gentle breeze that helped Ritsuka find his way out of that forest and of course, his stalker followed him as well. As soon as they were both out of the forest and into a clearing, the mysterious stalker finally made a sound in a form of a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Ritsuka asked as he turned and looked at his stalker.

The mysterious stranger was wearing a black pants with a waist length grey hooded jacket. The stalker is an inch taller than Ritsuka and it's obvious that it's a male by just the sound of his chuckle. As irritated as he might be after what just happened to him, Ritsuka manage to retain his self control and patience as he only gave a raised brow together with his question as an inquiry.

The boy, that's probably the same age as his or maybe a bit older for a year or two just gave grin. It is still hard to see what he looks like since half of his face is shadowed by his hood and of the shadows as well.

"Nothing really, it's just that…you were so funny. I never knew the great and mysterious 'Sacrifice' would easily get lost in such a small park forest." Ritsuka's eyes widened as the tone of voice registered in his mind.

He should have known.

Heck, he should have realized it as soon as he felt the stalking only started when he entered the forest and not at the gate.

"I should have known it was you, Ryu. You're the only one who could sneak up behind me without me knowing." The boy that Ritsuka called 'Ryu' smirked. He slid his jacket hood off his head and it revealed a very beautiful young boy with an equally pale complexion as Ritsuka.

He had messy silver tresses that are also long enough to cover his eyes slightly, a silver white cat ears and equally silver eyes with small tints of blue. He had a friendly face but somehow it also screamed mysterious in such a way that it gave him more good points.

Even though he gave a smirk, it only showed that of a friendly gesture and nothing of an antagonistic perception. "Honestly, Ritsuka, do I always have to be at least a few meters near you all the time?" his voice dripped with amusement as he saw the young cat-boy to scowl at him with a small tint of red adoring his cheeks, "If you decide to leave and go somewhere almost at the middle of the night, bring a compass with you okay? You know I can't always be there for you now that everything is starting to be set in motion…"

"I know that…you don't have to remind me about it you know." Ritsuka snapped as he turned his back and headed towards a picnic table under some trees.

Ryu followed suit with a sigh at the young boy's behavior but nonetheless kept quiet. As soon as they reached the table, Ritsuka sat down with a sigh of his own but not looking at Ryu as he spoke, "I just couldn't sleep for the past few days and every time I tried I only ended up getting some weird dreams. You can't blame me at all since this involves and affects me more than it affects you in any kinds of ways." Ryu, who hadn't taken a seat, stared down at Ritsuka.

He gave a half hearted smile before he made Ritsuka look at him by holding Ritsuka's chin with his right hand and leaned down, taking the boy's lips on his own. Ritsuka did not seem shock at the sudden action but instead he leaned further into the kiss as he closed his eyes, feeling the warmth and sensation.

When Ryu kissed him, it was gentle and it made Ritsuka melt directly into the kiss. It also gave him the reassurance that he never once felt…that he is not alone. That kiss lasted at least a minute when the two decided to stop, "Don't worry too much with it. Don't forget that no matter what happens, I will always be by your side…as your Fighter and as your lover." Ryu whispered as he gazed lovingly at Ritsuka who flushed a few shades of red because of the kiss and of the proclamation said by Ryu.

He and Ryu met when Ritsuka was thirteen and studying at his current school as a transfer student, at that time Ryu's class was having a student-exchange program with the said school. They met in the afternoons when Ryu skipped a class performance when he saw Ritsuka sleeping under a cherry tree in the school's garden that he just so happens to walked passed by.

It had been a really unexpected encounter but the memory of Ritsuka sleeping while the setting sun's glow illuminated his already pale complexion made it more entrancing as he stared at the young cat-boy.

It was at that moment as well that he felt a razor sharp pain suddenly carving something on his back that he could feel. When he touched it, there was no blood but the pain was there and he was able to trace down what the carving was and he realized it as the name "LOVELESS".

Since then, they were always in contact with each other and every holiday break or days where there is an unexpected suspension of classes, they meet and talk, sometimes train together as a pair or an individual. Ritsuka's name is also carved on his back like Ryu's but the only difference between the two names is that, Ritsuka's name is carved on his spinal colon while Ryu's is carved just below his neck at the back.

"I know but I still can't help but worry."

"Tsu-chan, don't forget that we, the LOVELESS Pair are not just any ordinary pair. We can't be defeated that easily and we also have an advantage that no one else has…" Ryu whispered unto Ritsuka's ear as he sat down beside him.

"…we are neither Sacrifice nor Fighter… we are neither a child nor an adult. We know more than any other knows, so you should just relax or do I have to help you relax…" Ryu trailed off seductively and suggestively as his hot breath lingered on Ritsuka's cold skin.

The said boy blushed at what his partner said and gave an annoyed look before standing up, ready to leave. "Keep it to yourself, Ryu. I still have classes and it's nearly 5 am, I have to go now." Ryu snickered and gave an amused smile as he saw a tint of red in Ritsuka's cheeks.

Man, his Ritsuka truly looks adorably cute when he blushes, he could never get enough of it. No matter what kind of cold demur Ritsuka shows to everyone and even to him, Ryu could always make the tables turn and make luck go to his side. It's something that only he could do. After all, he does know just what to say and do when he wants to embarrass his Sacrifice.

"Sure, sure…but the other suggestion is still open…"

Ritsuka's blush darkened before he stormed off and headed towards the gate of the park not anymore going into the forest, leaving Ryu alone under the moonlit night with that playful grin on his face that never seems to leave. Oh, how Ryu really loves to tease Ritsuka and make him blush like that. Ritsuka on the other hand was plotting on how to get a payback on Ryu for making that kind of suggestion to him…I mean come on! Doesn't that guy ever have any shame?

…oh… he will make this idiot pay, one way or another…

---End---

-----------------------------XXXXXXX-------------------------

Author's note: I might make a sequel to this or another story that is now in Ryu's point of view… just please read and review… and I also want to greet Light In The Dark-san and I hope you could upload soon… hiiiiiiiiiiii…